Clay Induction

In preparation for the design and manufacture of my final concept I decided to try my hand out at clay moulding. This tied in perfectly with my current task, to obtain all pieces of the tea ceremony, as I decided to make some scent (sniffer) cups. These cups serve as the primary embodiment of the tea, the tea is first poured into these small thin cups in order for the user to smell the tea. This task is one that I very much want to include in my final piece; I believe that the small of tea is a very large part of enjoying its essence.

I asked Sean Kingsley, DJCADs own clay wizard, if he could spend some time introducing me to the basics and help me understand the principles behind the art. Once the induction had been complete we moved on to crafting the scent cups, the four completed attempts can be seen below on their drying rack. Completing these simple designs gave be the ability to slightly alter and change their shape each time, this will allow me to define the most valid shape and also allow me to practice different modelling styles. Through this process I was able to develop an understanding of how to join and finish pieces to an acceptable slandered before being taught how to fire and glaze. The most important lesson I learned was that of time, I learned that it takes a great deal of time between the modelling to the firing to the glazing. At this current stage It has been 2 days since I modelled the pieces, they will be fired today and I will then be able to glaze them on Monday (27^th). This is almost a week before the final piece can be delivered, and there is no way of knowing it they will be to the appropriate standard. I am now aware of the importance of understanding and planning my time, if I am to use clay in my final piece.